Driver who Crashed Into President’s Motorcade Charged with DUI

President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s Chevy Suburban (nicknamed a “Camp”) crosses a bridge inside of the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware on April 2, 2022 (Andrew McKeough/AKSM Photography).

One Wilmington man’s actions made for an unexpected end to a Biden-Harris campaign event Sunday night.

Article by Julia O’Keefe, Senior Election Correspondent

WILMINGTON, Del. - The driver who crashed into an SUV barricading President’s Biden motorcade Sunday night was charged with a DUI, according to Wilmington police. 

James Cooper, 46, of Wilmington, Del., was driving under the influence in sleek, rainy conditions when he collided with a U.S. Secret Service vehicle. This vehicle was not the president’s, and no one was harmed in the accident. 

The President and First Lady were leaving a holiday gathering for election campaign staff at the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign headquarters in Wilmington when the crash occurred. As she entered the SUV, Dr. Jill Biden waved and said, “Happy Holidays” according to pool reporters on site. Biden stopped to answer a reporter asking why Trump is ahead in the polls. 

“You’re reading the wrong polls,” he said as the silver-copper sedan hit the motorcade with a loud crash, noticeably startling the president. The Secret Service swiftly ushered him into the SUV with Dr. Jill Biden already inside. 

The sedan, which sustained damage to its front bumper, attempted to continue through the closed-off intersection before Secret Service agents rushed to draw weapons on Cooper. Agents instructed the driver to raise his hands, and he did so immediately. 

According to CNN, “There was no protective interest associated with this event, and the president’s motorcade departed without incident,” said special agent and spokesperson for the Secret Service Steve Kopak. 

The President and First Lady were escorted to their residence after the event, and their schedule remained unaffected. 

Cooper was released from custody Monday, facing charges for driving under the influence of and inattentive driving. No court date has been determined at this time.